Sloppy closing seconds lead to Kentucky win over Lady Vols

Sloppy closing seconds lead to Kentucky win over Lady Vols

Either they were the payoff for Kentucky’s aggressiveness during a spirited SEC women’s basketball game, or they were the penalty incurred for the Lady Vols’ negligence.

Either way, there was no debating the impact.

Three UT turnovers occurred during a fateful 64-second span of the second half. Along with losing the basketball, the Lady Vols lost the lead. The 22nd and final turnover occurred as Isabelle Harrison was maneuvering for a chance at a game-tying basket inside the final five seconds.

One moment, the Lady Vols still had a shot. The next, they didn’t.

In the end, the ball and the day belonged to the Wildcats. Their 75-71 victory before a “Live Pink Bleed Orange” crowd of 15,664 at Thompson-Boling Arena was their first in the arena and their first in Knoxville since Jan. 23, 1985. A photo posted on Twitter afterward showed Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell standing on two chairs in the team locker room, celebrating with his players.

The former UT graduate assistant was less buoyant in the interview room. But he was no less grateful regarding the outcome for No. 18 Kentucky (19-6, 7-5 SEC), which began the day tied for sixth in the conference standings.

“This team needed to win today because they could,” Mitchell said. “They needed to believe in themselves, and they did. That is the significant thing in my mind.”

The loss dropped No. 8 Tennessee (20-5, 9-3) into third place in the SEC, a game behind Texas A&M and two behind league-leader South Carolina.

Guard Jennifer O’Neill came off the bench to score a game-high 24 points for the Wildcats. She hit three straight baskets late, beginning with a banked-in jumper to beat an expiring shot clock with 3:21 left.

“That’s when we went on our run,” UT coach Holly Warlick lamented, “and had four turnovers in six possessions.”

O’Neill aided Tennessee’s demise by converting Meighan Simmons’ turnover into a layup and a 70-69 lead with 2:23 left. After Harrison was called for an illegal screen, O’Neill drained a jumper.

“We were questioning ourselves,” O’Neill said, “but we came down here and played a good game and got a victory. That is all that matters.”

Along with O’Neill, forward DeNesha Stallworth scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and gathered four steals. She also poked the ball loose from Harrison on the aforementioned play. Teammate Kastine Evans was credited with the steal — Kentucky’s 13th.

“We just haven’t been able to full court press this year the way we would like to,” Mitchell said. “The last couple of weeks, we have tried to become the most vicious halfcourt man-to-man defense that we can be. I thought we did that today. Those 22 turnovers are forced with zero fullcourt press.”

Harrison committed five of UT’s turnovers, which detracted from her 20-point, 16-rebound effort. She and teammate Bashaara Graves (20 points) became the first Lady Vols duo this season to score 20 or more in a game.

“Of course, I’m the type of person to put a lot of blame on myself,” Harrison said. “I blame me. I feel like I had a lot of turnovers.”

Harrison, Simmons and Cierra Burdick committed five apiece. Kentucky committed 17 turnovers and finished with a crucial 21-18 edge in points off turnovers.

“I just feel like we were really rushed,” Harrison said. “We’ve played good teams like Kentucky and we’ve composed ourselves. They did play good defense. They were really physical against us. But I felt if we would’ve taken extra time making plays and think stuff through, we would’ve been fine.

Tennessee’s turnover problems began as a by-product of first-half foul trouble. Simmons went to the bench after picking up her second foul 10:57 before halftime. Point guard Andraya Carter followed for the same reason with 7:23 left. Although fellow guard Ariel Massengale was sitting on the bench for the first time since being hit in the face against Florida on Jan. 23, she sat out her sixth consecutive game.

Guard-depleted UT committed eight turnovers the rest of the half after Carter left. In the process, a three-point lead became a 38-34 halftime deficit.

As if UT didn’t have enough regrets afterward, Simmons bemoaned what she thought was a missed foul call when Stallworth blocked her 3-point shot with 38 seconds left.

“I got fouled; it’s just that simple,” Simmons said. “Holly asked me that when I went in the locker room, ‘Was it an open look?’ … I was wide open and she bumped into me as I went up.”

Martha Alwal’s lay-in with 3.3 seconds left lifted the Mississippi State women’s basketball team to its biggest win of the season Sunday.

The final shot capped a tremendous contest in the Humphrey Coliseum as MSU upset Vanderbilt 64-62 in a Southeastern Conference slugfest.

“I went up there and tried to be tough,” said Alwal on her game-winning shot. “When it went through, I was happy. I just wanted to take the ball in there and try to score.”

Alwal tied her conference high with 23 points, including 18 in the second half and 14 of the squad’s final 21 points.

Decked out in pink as part of the school’s annual Think Pink contest for Breast Cancer Awareness, the Bulldogs treated the coliseum crowd of 2,354 to a dramatic comeback as the Maroon and White clawed back from a seven-point halftime deficit to snap a six-game losing streak to the Commodores.

MSU claimed a win against a Top 20 team for the second-straight season to improve to 17-9 overall and 4-8 in league play. Vanderbilt fell to 17-8 and 6-6.

“Super proud of the kids,” MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. “I love how competitive they have become. I love how they fought in the second half. We set the game back 20 years in the first half. In the second half, we threw the first punch and didn’t let up.

“Martha put us on her back. Jerica James really gave us a lift. She does so many things defensively. Point guard play is a big reason why we have won 17 games. This team beat us by 51 last year, so to come out and compete this way is great.”

MSU battled through some offensive struggles in the first 20 minutes.

Vanderbilt quickly built a 15-7 lead eight minutes into the contest. Behind a strong first half from Morgan Batey, the Commodores held the upper hand throughout the first half. The lead grew to 10 at 21-11 with 8:11 left in the opening half.

The Bulldogs closed within four at 21-17 on a layup by Savannah Carter. However, early foul trouble and 30.4 percent shooting from the field helped place the Bulldogs down 28-21 at halftime.

“After hearing from our coaches what we needed to do in the second half, we knew we had to go out there and make some changes,” James said. “This team has leadership. When we huddle, we talk about what we need to do and how we should do it. We had leadership not from one person but from several people.

“All that was on our mind today was winning.”

MSU turned up the defensive pressure and came out the gates strong to start the second half. The Bulldogs were within one at 33-32 on a Kendra Grant jumper with 15:43 left in the contest.

The Maroon and White kept plugging away before finally grabbing their first lead at 50-49 on a free throw by Dominique Dillingham with 7:17 left in the contest.

The lead switched hands a couple of times before MSU seized control for good. The Bulldogs built a four-point lead at 58-54 on two free throws by Breanna Richardson. A steal and layup by Katia May placed MSU on top 60-58.

Alwal then gave the Bulldogs their final two leads at 62-60 with 1:16 left and more than a minute later hit the game-winner.

“We forced 26 turnovers so that is 52 points Vanderbilt couldn’t score,” Schaefer said. “Vanderbilt shoots 62 percent from the field in the second half and we outscored them by nine. They are a really good team. They are a team that beat Tennessee. There are some things we don’t well, but we are always going to compete and play hard.”

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 22 of 48 shots from the field (45.8 percent), 4 o 13 shots from 3-point range (30.8 percent) and 16 of 20 shots from the foul line (80.0 percent). The Commodores hit 23 of 41 shots from the field (56.1 percent), 4 of 9 shots from 3-point range (44.4 percent) and 12 of 19 shots from the foul line (63.2 percent).

Vanderbilt held a 32-18 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 19 assists and 18 turnovers, while the Commodores had 16 assists and 26 turnovers.

Alwal added a team-high six rebounds to go with her 23 points. Richardson added 16 points, and May contributed six assists and a pair of steals.

Vanderbilt received a double-double from Batey (13 points, 11 rebounds). Christina Foggie led the Commodores with 15 points, four points below her average, while Jasmine Lister also had 13 points.

Barbee led all scorers with her 21 points while Erika Ford notched 19 and Khaalidah Miller contributed 14 points. Barbee also led the Lady Bulldogs in the rebounding column with eight boards, it is the third time this season Barbee has led Georgia in both categories.

Georgia played a solid all-around game as it won the rebounding battle and turnover contest. The Lady Bulldogs move to 15-3 on the season when winning the battle of the boards and 13-4 when forcing more turnovers than the opponent.

“All of our players played well. The thing I’m particularly pleased with is that we outrebounded them tonight and it wasn’t because of one or two people. Everybody on our basketball team rebounded per minutes played and did a nice job and that was very important,” Georgia head coach Andy Landers said. “The second thing I’m proud of is that we didn’t put them on the line. This is a team that scores and hits 20-plus free throws a game, so we didn’t foul them and put them on the line.”

In association with Play 4Kay, the Lady Bulldogs wore pink uniforms for Sunday’s game. The pink jerseys have become something of a good omen for Georgia teams featuring Miller as she will finish her career undefeated when wearing her favorite color. This includes two wins over Florida (2014 & 2013), and wins over Vanderbilt (2012) and Alabama (2011).

The Aggies went on a 17-3 run midway through the first half, which gave the Aggies a 37-22 lead at the break. A&M shot 52.9% in the first half, while holding the Crimson Tide to 29.6% from the field.

Texas A&M (20-6, 10-2 SEC) dominated the second half, using 53.8% shooting to outscore the Crimson Tide 34-24 in the second half.

Alabama (11-14, 4-8 SEC) was led by Ashley Williams, who scored 19 points.

The Aggies take to the floor again on Feb. 20 at Ole Miss before returning home on Feb. 23 to host Kentucky at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

No. 5 S. Carolina 73, No. 17 LSU 57

South Carolina rose to every challenge Sunday as Aleighsa Welch and sophomore Tiffany Mitchell pouring in 19 points each to lead the offensive effort.

The Gamecocks (23-2, 11-1 ) shot 57.9 percent in the second half to hold off the Lady Tigers (18-7, 7-5 SEC), who fought to ride the momentum of their home crowd to get ahead. Each time they drew too close, though, Welch answered, then let her teammates seal the win from the free throw line.

It took nearly the entire first half for the Gamecocks to get their offense fully unfurled, but they had enough to keep pace until the 3:18 mark. From there, Welch sparked a 13-2 surge to close the half that gave South Carolina an eight-point lead at the break.

Shooting was a struggle for both teams early as they tested each other’s defenses to see what was available. Welch and Tiffany Mitchell kept the Gamecock offense going early, while Tina Roy stepped up with a big 3 to answer one from LSU, putting the Gamecocks up 12-11 with 12:43 left in the half. The teams traded baskets slowly over the next eight minutes until LSU’s Theresa Plaisance tied it up for the fourth time with a layup with 4:49 on the clock. She added a 3 in secondary transition 38 seconds later to put the Lady Tigers up 22-19.

As she has done every time the Gamecocks have needed a lift this season, Welch delivered. Elem Ibiam snagged an offensive rebound, and Welch drove the baseline for a bucket to bring South Carolina within one. The Lady Tigers were one and done on the other end as Alaina Coates reeled in one of her four rebounds in the first half and started a break that Mitchell found Welch to finish off and put the Gamecocks back on top 23-22. Another misfire on the other end put South Carolina back on offense, and Welch converted a traditional three-point play to stretch out the advantage.

On the next trip up the floor, LSU couldn’t connect on a pair of chances, and Roy made them pay with a 3 at the end of the shot clock for a seven-point Gamecock lead with just over 90 seconds to play. Rina Hill hit a pair of free throws, but the Gamecocks finished the half with a 3-pointer from Sessions to take a 32-24 lead into the locker room.

The Lady Tigers were the early aggressors in the second half, scoring six of the period’s first eight points to draw within 34-30 three minutes in, but the Gamecocks did not panic. LSU drew within two when Jeanne Kenney banked in a 3 from the right wing to make it a 42-40 Gamecock lead with 11:35 to go in the game. South Carolina worked the ball around the perimeter of the zone until Mitchell found a seam to lead Coates to the basket to go back up 44-40. A double-team in the post forced a turnover on the Lady Tigers’ next possession, and Welch converted a pair of free throws to push the lead to six.

LSU got within two again behind back-to-back jump shots after a Gamecock turnover, but South Carolina’s inside game launched a 9-0 run that re-established a double-digit margin. Coates got it going with a bucket from the left side, then pulled down a defensive rebound to get the Gamecocks right back on offense. Mitchell hit a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game. LSU misfired on its next two possessions, and the Gamecocks cleaned up the defensive glass. Asia Dozier added a free throw, and Coates scored again underneath. After a pair of offensive rebounds, the Lady Tigers had the Gamecock defense scrambling. Quick hands by Roy came up with a steal that eventually led to a pair of free throws from Coates to make it a 55-44 game with 6:42 on the clock.

Just when it looked like the Lady Tigers had another run in them, Welch squashed it with a steel-eyed jumper from the free throw line to end it. LSU got within seven on a putback from Sheila Boykin, but Mitchell hit a pull-up jumper in traffic at the end of the shot clock to deflate the Lady Tigers. From there, a steady parade to the free throw line delivered the win as the Gamecocks hit 10-of-12 from the stripe in the final three minutes.

Coates joined Mitchell and Welch in double figures with 13 points, including nine in the second half, while leading the way on the glass with eight rebounds. Mitchell dished out seven assists to go with her 5-of-7 shooting that included 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

The Gamecocks continue their two-game road swing with a Thursday night tilt at No. 18/18 Kentucky. South Carolina is back at Colonial Life Arena for its final two home games of the season, beginning on Sun., Feb. 23, against Florida.

Missouri 68, Auburn 58

The Tigers carried a 42-14 lead into halftime thanks to two Tiger freshmen. Both Sierra Michaelis and Kayla McDowell earned the start and came out with eight and nine first-half points, respectively. With Sunday’s win, the Tigers improve to 15-10 overall and 4-8 SEC.

McDowell finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds, just short of her third-career double-double. Freshman Jordan Frericks also finished strong with eight points and seven rebounds total. Junior Morgan Eye led the Tigers on the game, tallying 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting from distance.

The Tigers shot a scorching 48-percent from the field in the first half to take a 42-14 lead into the locker room, led by nine points and seven rebounds from freshman Kayla McDowell. McDowell and fellow freshman Sierra Michaelis both earned in the starting lineup on Sunday. The start was the second for McDowell and first Michaelis who put up eight points in the first half, adding three rebounds to her tally.

Rules for posting comments

Comments posted below are from readers. In no way do they represent the view of Stephens Media LLC or this newspaper. This is a public forum.

Comments may be monitored for inappropriate content but the newspaper is under no obligation to do so. Comment posters are solely responsible under the Communications Decency Act for comments posted on this Web site. Stephens Media LLC is not liable for messages from third parties.

IP and email addresses of persons who post are not treated as confidential records and will be disclosed in response to valid legal process.

Do not post:

Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.

Obscene, explicit, or racist language.

Copyrighted materials of any sort without the express permission of the copyright holder.

Personal attacks, insults or threats.

The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.

Comments unrelated to the story.

If you believe that a commenter has not followed these guidelines, please click the FLAG icon below the comment.